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Namaste, Bula and Good Day

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Grace and I had the good fortune to go to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico this past weekend for our friends and landlords Grant and Jacqueline's wedding. It was a beautiful setting and they are a truly beautiful couple.

I was truly struck by the greeting that each and every employee of the hotel offered. Upon passing or engaging in conversation, the ritual was to cover the heart with the right hand and give a slight bow to the head. No words were spoken but a warmth flowed out of this simple gesture that was palpable and real. It made me want to respond similarly and made me feel good each and every time it was offered.

Other cultures have similar greetings. Namaste is spoken in the Indian culture and is associated with a bringing of the hands together with the fingers pointed upward. Namaste means "the divinity in me bows to the divinity in you". In Fiji, the universal greeting is Bula or Bula Bula and is accompanied by a warm and full smile. I recall the energy of this greeting and very much liked the warmth it engendered in me as I made my way through the their beautiful islands.

It seems so simple but these greetings truly change the way people initiate contact. We need this! This is the way to live in my opinion. It may not change the world but it is a really good and really real start.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Lovely. I agree, it's an excellent start.
B
June 18, 2011 at 9:59 AM
April said…
Namaste! An open heart heals the universe!
July 22, 2011 at 11:19 PM
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